Snowboarder Fredrik "Shredrik" Austbo has a challenge that might surprise you. The 20-year-old boarder comes from Norway, but there's not as much snow as he would like. Not enough snow in Norway? Well, this is Stavanger in southwest Norway.

Fredrik Austbo says the season is short, and the nearest good mountain is more than two hours away. Therefore, he started out in soccer shoes, hockey skates and with a skateboard. He's also into gymnastics and surfing. So, when he first tried a snowboard at the age of 10, with all of his athletic ability, it felt perfectly natural. Therefore, Fredrik is reminiscent of American Shaun White, with the potential to combine the snowboard with the skateboard in a "free and happy" way. How's this for a good solid day: "I eat a good breakfast and then go up to the mountain and ride the whole day with my friends. Then afterwords, I go skateboarding."

As an adolescent, Fredrik "Shredrik" Austbo says he didn't think of turning pro or making money, even though he was winning loads of medals and trophies in Europe. Only during recent years did he turn truly serious about a pro career. His main influence is his coach and ThirtyTwo team manager, Jan Prokes.

Because of his wide ranging background, Fredrik Austbo is amused at a snowboard.com feature that invites viewers "to watch some footage of ThirtyTwo team rider Fredrik Austbo shredding up the concrete over at etnies. What? You didn't know he could skate? Hell, yeah! Turns out Fred's a full-on tranny dog who loves to grrr-ind coping for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Fredrik Austbo has broken out of the European confines to compete at destinations as distant as the United States and Canada.

Sources:
http://www.groms.tv/ath_f_austbo_skate.htm
http://www.snowboard-mag.com/node/14889

Snowboarders have options, and one of the main ones is whether to go off the main trails, or off-piste.

British snowboarder and freelance writer Daniel Elkan explains on timesonline.co.uk: "There's a common misconception - held by skiers, mostly - that snowboarders are happiest when larking about in the terrain park, launching themselves off huge snow ramps and skidding along hard-edged metal railings. Well, that may be true of snowboarders under the age of 20, but it certainly isn't true of me, and of many like me." Elkan goes on to explain how he can do without the deep bruises and broken bones.

If it sounds like Daniel Elkan isn't too hot in the half pipe, draw your own conclusions. Still, many other snowboarders are following his path toward getting away from the beaten path. This is enough of a phenomenon that the folks at the legendary Chamonix resort in eastern France have felt compelled to issue due warnings.

The most importance sentence from Chamonix is: "There is an extremely high number of deaths in Chamonix each year, don't ski stupidly, your life depends on it."

Equally ominous is the urging at Chamonix to hire a guide if you desire to go off-piste: "If you think the price is a bit steep, just consider the price of a rescue and/or a coffin, and the decision will be obvious."

Ho-key, doe-key, we get the point!

Our advisers at Chamonix further tell us that off-piste snowboarding should not mean that you duck under the ropes and go outside of the resort's official area. Instead, off-piste means that you go off of the regular trails within the bounds of those ropes. At any major resort, there are plenty of places with this so-called virgin snow, and the resort's ski patrol will be looking out. In fact, you should tell the ski patrol what you're doing ahead of time.

Daniel Elkan wrote about his off-piste experience at Ischgl, in Austria, with one of his buddies. Chamonix says you should have at least two pals with you. Each should have a transceiver, which helps people find you if you are buried in an avalanche. The group should also bring shovels.

You also should check regularly on snow conditions, not just in the morning, because they can change by the hour.

Don't follow somebody else to a location just because you think they know what they're doing.

Our Chamonix author concludes with a somewhat political flourish: "Remember that skiing on- and off-piste in Europe is at your own risk. You will not be able to sue anybody for anything; this is Europe, judges have brains. You will be charged a hefty fee for any type of rescue, so ski safely."

Sources:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/travel/specials/ski0809/article4744804.ece
http://www.absolutemotions.com/Newsletter/Cham/off_piste.htm

Gretchen Bleiler, a pioneer in women's pro snowboarding, explains why she aims to combat global warning by building awareness.

"I mean, if we don't have snow in the next years, I'm going to be out of a job," says Bleiler, 27, born in Toledo and one of the first women to make her mark in pro snowboarding. She now lives in Aspen, where she was won three X-Games championships in the half-pipe. This makes Gretchen Bleiler well-known among the snowboarding set, but she gained larger fame with her silver medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.

"The X Games are sort of becoming the modern day Olympics, because I think younger kids are growing up watching the X Games now, but the Olympics are the biggest event in all sports," Bleiler explains, before drawing a logical conclusion: "The X Games are the bigger competition for snowboarding, but the Olympics are the biggest competition for everybody worldwide."

Gretchen Bleiler started snowboarding at the age of 11. This was during the early 1990s, so she was aware of no female snowboarders as role models. Instead, she took inspiration from her three snowboarding brothers. But now that Gretchen is so well-established, today's girls have someone they can admire. Gretchen Bleiler fits the bill by visiting schools, and she even was interviewed by Scholastic Magazine. She's involved with the Women's Sports Foundation. To promote women in snowboarding, she has organized the season-closing Snow Angels Invitational at Aspen.

Ms. Bleiler also is a magnet for the media with her natural and sunny good looks, but sorry fellas, she's engaged to snowboarder Christopher Hotell.

Gretchen Bleiler has capitalized on her success to establishing a signature sports clothing line with Oakley, which includes everything from the snowboarding suits to the gloves. She does far more than simply endorse, initiating the design from start to finish.

Her increasing public profile also allows Gretchen Bleiler to push hard in the fight against global warming.

"I've been very athletic my entire life and have always enjoyed being outdoors, so the environment has always been very important to me," Gretchen Bleiler says. "After the Olympics, I realized I had a platform to talk about the causes I believed in, and the environment and climate change are definitely at the top of the list."

She urges her fans to visit the web site stopglobalwarming.org.

Sources:
http://www.shredbetties.com/riders/story/gretchen_bleiler/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gretchen_Bleiler
http://gretchenbleiler.com/index.php/bio
http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/winterolympics/sports/index.asp?article-gbleiler

For snowboarders, the State of Maine isn't along any sort of main route. There sits Maine, way, way up in the obscure, right-hand corner of the map of the United States. But can't you tell, just by looking, that a state with Maine's location is just bound to have some great slopes, terrain parks and half pipes?

Maine also is a very family-friendly state, so your rates and fees will be affordable.

Readers of Snowboarder Magazine voted Shawnee Peak, in Bridgton, as one of North America's 10 favorite mountains for nighttime snowboarding. The half pipe is a full 400 feet and not

two terrain parks are constantly open. Shawnee Peak is known for its weekly competitions and prizes.

Sugarloaf in Maine's Carrabassett Valley offers that state's steepest vertical drop, 2,820 feet, with an impressive 131 trails. Sunday River, in Beth, has a drop of 2,340 feet and 128 trails. The drop at Saddleback, in Rangeley, also exceeds 2,000 feet.

Have you ever heard of the Ragged Mountains? Well, yes, the Ragged Mountains are in Maine along the mid-coast shoreline of the Atlantic Ocean. The Camden Snow Bowl is run by the town's Parks & Recreation Commission, which will bring you some of the neatest snowboarding value prices that you ever will encounter. This is "where the mountains meet the sea."

Try Big Rock in Mars Hill. No, being in Mars Hill doesn't put you into outer space. You can find virtually everything you want for a top-notch, Maine snowboarding experience.

Need some snowboarding or ski lessons? Lost Valley Ski Area near Perkins Ridge employs nearly 100 instructors, some who teach year-round.

You gotta love a place called Katahdin Moosehead on Big Squaw Mountain. It's in Greenville, but the view is mostly white during the winter. Same goes for Black Mountain in Rumford.

How about Quoggy Jo on Presque Isle. The drop is a meager 215 feet, but with a name like Quoggy Jo, it demands some respect!

Sources:
http://www.visit-maine.com/current_category.2325/companies_list.html
http://www.mainesnowboarding.com/
http://www.mainetodo.com/article523.html